The Protective Effect of Habitual Tea Consumption on Hypertension

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The Protective Effect of Habitual Tea Consumption on Hypertension

Yi-Ching Yang, MD, MPH; Feng-Hwa Lu, MD, MS; Jin-Shang Wu, MD; Chih-Hsing Wu,

MD; Chih-Jen Chang, MD

 

Arch Intern Med. 2004;164:1534-1540.

Background Tea has long been believed to possess hypotensive effects in popular

Chinese medicine. However, conflicting results have been shown among human

trials and animal studies on the relation between tea consumption and blood

pressure. Epidemiological evidence about the long-term effect of tea on

hypertensive risk is also inconsistent.

Methods We examined the effect of tea drinking, measured in detail for the past

decades, on the risk of newly diagnosed hypertension in 1507 subjects (711 men

and 796 women), 20 years or older, who did not have a hypertensive history

during 1996 in Taiwan.

Results Six hundred subjects (39.8%) were habitual tea drinkers, defined by tea

consumption of 120 mL/d or more for at least 1 year. Compared with nonhabitual

tea drinkers, the risk of developing hypertension decreased by 46% for those who

drank 120 to 599 mL/d and was further reduced by 65% for those who drank 600

mL/d or more after carefully adjusting for age, sex, socioeconomic status,

family history of hypertension, body mass index, waist-hip ratio, lifestyle

factors (total physical activity, high sodium intake, cigarette smoking, alcohol

consumption, and coffee drinking), and dietary factors (vegetable, fruit,

unrefined grain, fish, milk, visible-fat food, and deep fried food intake).

However, tea consumption for more than 1 year was not associated with a further

reduction of hypertension risk.

Conclusion Habitual moderate strength green or oolong tea consumption, 120 mL/d

or more for 1 year, significantly reduces the risk of developing hypertension in

the Chinese population.

 

From the Department of Family Medicine, Medical College, National Cheng Kung

University, Tainan, Taiwan. The authors have no relevant financial interest in

this article.

 

 

richblit <richblit wrote:If anyone has full text access to the

Archives of Internal Medicine

could you please post the herbs in this study:

A randomized trial of Chinese herbal medicines for the treatment of

symptomatic hepatitis C

Arch Intern Med. 2004 Jun 28;164(12):1341-6.

 

Abstract states formula was ineffective.

 

It was in Todd's news blurbs he just posted.

Rich Blitstein

 

 

 

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